Quantum Physics

Title:
Prospects for atomic clocks based on large ion crystals

Abstract: We investigate the feasibility of precision frequency metrology with large
ion crystals. For clock candidates with a negative differential static
polarisability, we show that micromotion effects should not impede the
performance of the clock. Using Lu+ as a specific example, we show that
quadrupole shifts due to the electric fields from neighbouring ions do not
significantly affect clock performance. We also show that effects from the
tensor polarisability can be effectively managed with a compensation laser at
least for a small number of ions (<1000). These results provide new
possibilities for ion-based atomic clocks, allowing them to achieve stability
levels comparable to neutral atoms in optical lattices and a viable path to
greater levels of accuracy.